The 9-X Air was developed by General Motors Europe under the supervision of Anthony Lo, Director of Advanced Design, and in co-operation with the Saab Brand Center in Sweden.
Designed in parallel with the Saab 9-X BioHybrid concept, the 9-X Air shares its frontal styling and its efficient powertrain, with the small, 1.4-liter BioPower turbocharged engine featuring the use of biofuels and hybrid technology.
Running on E85 fuel (85% bioethanol/ 15% gasoline), the engine delivers 200 hp (147 kW), giving zero to 100 kph acceleration in 8.1 seconds and CO2 tailpipe emissions of just 107 g/km over the combined cycle.
The unit is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox with an automatic clutch and steering wheel controls.
From the official Press Release:
Exterior Design
“Like the 9-X BioHybrid, this car is all about efficiency in design and performance, and that includes the Canopy Top.” says Anthony Lo, Director of Advanced Design at General Motors Europe.
“It offers important benefits in weight-saving and packaging, as well as giving us the freedom to take convertible design forward in a very Saabish way. “
The bodywork of the 9-X Air incorporates prominent rear pillars which curve upwards to mount the flat folding Canopy Top. They also anchor a wraparound glasshouse, including a separate, recessed rear screen.
Top down or up, the 9-X Air cuts a distinctive silhouette. With the canopy stowed away and the rear screen up, occupants can enjoy open-top motoring free from buffeting. Top up, the 9-X Air assumes the appearance of a true coupé, with a cohesive design that eschews the looks of a conventional, four-seater convertible.
The clean, sculpted body contours of the 9-X Air give fresh expression to Saab’s Scandinavian-inspired design ethos and its aircraft heritage. The purposeful stance, with minimal overhangs front and rear, is complemented by a single, wraparound window graphic, smooth uncluttered body surfaces and ‘ice block’ lighting themes.
The exterior look is defined by the prominent C-pillars, or buttresses, that provide the rear mounting for the unique Canopy Top - a powered, flat-folding roof developed from a Targa top principle.
This innovation in convertible design, which distinguishes between a folding roof and a complete folding soft-top or hood assembly, is subject to a Saab patent application.
The Canopy Top is in fabric, rather than metal, to save weight and provide more efficient packaging. It is fully automatic in operation and folds neatly in three small sections under a rear tonneau cover in the trunk deck.
The rear screen between the buttresses retracts automatically into the underside of the raised tonneau cover to allow stowage of the Canopy Top. The screen then moves back into position to provide a complete glass surround for the cabin in open-top mode.
This ‘surround glass’ feature, together with an active wind deflector on top of the windshield header rail, provides enhanced occupant comfort. It minimizes buffeting, reduces back drafts and eliminates the need for a wind deflector net. Separating the rear screen from the folding top also enables a glass area larger than feasible with a soft top and integral screen.
In a further break with design convention, the 9-X Air dispenses with a trunk lid. Instead, a large storage compartment, big enough to accommodate two golf bags, slides out from underneath the rear light bar. To save weight, it is spring-loaded, without any power assistance, and slides effortlessly on rollers. Revealed underneath the sliding drawer is a separate compartment for stowing smaller items.
Interior Design
Inside, the 9-X Air features innovative developments in its driver-focused cockpit design and the provision of seamless connectivity for personal nomadic devices, both first seen in the 9-X BioHybrid.
The driver information zone encompasses the top of the door moulding. It is a fresh execution of Saab’s traditional, driver-focused cockpit layout and dispenses with a central, floor-mounted console.
The zone is a flat, arc-shaped surface, within which a row of five display screens is embedded and illuminated in green 3-D graphics, including an ‘infotainment’ screen and control panel in the driver’s door.
In co-operation with Sony Ericsson, the 9-X Air and its hatchback sibling also showcase the potential for seamless, wireless connectivity (Bluetooth) with one or multiple nomadic devices (mobile phones, PDAs etc).
The in-car interface enables streaming of data, entertainment and satellite navigation functions, which are transferred automatically to the car while the device remains in the user’s pocket.
The smarter the device, the more functions in the car.
The same unit could also be programmed to remotely lock /unlock the car, raise or lower the Canopy Top, and even remotely change in-car pre-sets. The 9-X Air makes a separate car key fob or remote controller redundant .
Design Story
"With this car we have created an open air experience that is unique, sophisticated and very premium" says Mark Adams, Vice President GME Design.
"From the beginning, we wanted to create an open air car that looked great with the windows up, since this is how convertibles are driven most of the time.”
“The roof treatment has allowed us to completely alter the shape of the car,” explains designer Anthony Lo.
Lo and his team set out to bring convertible design closer to the looks of an open sports car or a closed coupé, depending on the configuration.
They also wanted to improve open-top comfort for passengers. The result is Saab’s unique Canopy Top concept, an alternative to soft-tops or hoods with rear windows that leave the back of the cabin open when stowed.
A ‘stand alone’ rear screen - separate from the soft-top assembly - is located between the 9-X Air’s raked rear pillars. These support the Canopy Top, a development of the ‘Targa’ top principle. But instead of having a manually detachable roof section, the Saab Canopy Top is fully powered in operation and folds away for stowage in the trunk. Saab has already filed a patent application for this feature.
“Convertibles are traditionally developed from a sedan body and have a flat, open rear deck when the hood is down,” says Lo, Director of Advanced Design at General Motors Europe.
“The Canopy Top has allowed us to introduce the rear pillars, which completely change the usual appearance of a convertible, giving it a more dynamic, coupé look. The pillars also anchor a complete wraparound glasshouse, which shelters the occupants from buffeting when the car is open.”
The 9-X Air was conceived in parallel with its 9-X BioHybrid sibling and, as a result, it is a design free from compromise or adaptation. The shape of the windshield and frontal styling, for example, was designed to work in both applications.
The two cars share a focus on efficiency, with a powertrain that uses engine rightsizing, turbocharging, biofuel and hybrid technology to deliver sporty performance together with a significantly reduced environmental impact.
Improved efficiency is also a major benefit of the Canopy Top. As there is no rear screen and supporting material to fold away, it is smaller and lighter than a conventional soft-top. That means it takes up less trunk space when stowed.
Reduced weight was another consideration and that dictated the choice of fabric instead of metal for the Canopy Top.
“It is the best material, as we save about 100 kilos in weight compared to using metal,” explains Lo.
“We have chosen the fabric used for the current Saab Convertible. It is extremely durable and provides effective road noise insulation.
"For good handling and a lower center of gravity, you also don’t want any extra weight high up. All in all, we thought of quite a few drawbacks, and not so many gains, from going with a metal roof.”
As the 9-X Air was designed alongside the 9-X BioHybrid, the team was also able to keep weight down by minimizing the amount of structural reinforcement necessary to compensate for the removal of a fixed roof. The small strengthening members that were required are in aluminum for further weight saving.
With its Canopy Top stowed, the 9-X Air’s ‘surround glass’ cabin offers improved driver and passenger comfort by managing air flow to reduce turbulence and wind buffeting. The rear screen works in tandem with a small wind deflector on the top edge of the windshield header rail.
This is actively deployed, rising and falling according to vehicle speed. At the rear, the screen helps prevent back drafts, as the air flow over the car is no longer sucked back in through an open rear deck.
The Canopy Top design also provides another practical benefit. Compared to the ‘stitched in’ screen of a conventional soft-top, the glass area of the 9-X Air’s rear screen is larger, offering the driver a wider field of vision.
Saab Signature
In evolving the 9-X Air and its sibling, Lo and his team worked in co-operation with colleagues from the Saab Brand Center in Sweden. This is a cross-functional group tasked with nurturing and developing all the qualities that go into making a Saab a Saab. It is a unique organization within GM’s global structure, with a unique way of working.
Visually, the 9-X Air carries forward signature features that reflect Saab’s Scandinavian design heritage and its roots in aviation.
These include the extended wraparound effect of the windshield and side glazing, the Aero X-inspired frontal styling, the clean body surfaces, ‘ice block’ lighting themes and distinctive 3-D blue/green instrument graphics. Even the raked rear pillars echo the prominent C-pillar line seen in all Saab cars.
“Overall, the 9-X Air maintains our focus on efficiency. We have produced a sporty, innovative design that offers the sort of functional benefits you would expect from a Saab.”
About Saab Convertibles
Saab 900 Convertible (1986)
The first Saab Convertible was revealed exactly 25 years ago at the 1983 International Frankfurt Motor Show.
A quarter of a century ago, four seater convertibles were a rare sight on the road and largely considered to be ‘second’ cars, best kept in the garage for fair weather conditions.
The soft-top car was designed as a practical, four season, four seater car for use all the year round and - like the 9-X Air - was unveiled as a concept.
First produced in 1985, the Saab 900 Convertible was designed to withstand the harshest of Scandinavian winters.
The powered, triple layer soft-top was extremely durable, snug-fitting and totally weatherproof.
Saab 900 Convertible (1986)
Instead of the conventional perspex rear window, which is prone to cracking and fogging, Saab’s convertible featured a heated, glass rear screen.
Today, the 9-X Air’s Canopy Top takes this a step further by completely separating the screen from the roof so that it remains in position when the roof is down to provide greater wind-cheating comfort for passengers.
Most of the few convertibles on the market 25 years ago also had somewhat awkward lines, due to the requirements of adapting a sedan body shape and accommodating a folding top.
But the Saab convertible was a unique model, rather than a sedan derivative, and looked just as good, roof up or roof down. Again, a design priority reflected in the distinctive shape of today’s 9-X Air.
Spanning three generations , Saab convertible sales volumes have continued to increase. Almost 49,000 Saab 900 Convertibles were sold between 1987 and 1993, an average of 7,000 units a year, or 14% of all Saab 900 production.
The next generation was an even greater success, with global sales from 1994 to 2002 totalling 140,500 units, an average of more than 15,500 units a year accounting for 24% of all 900/9-3 production.
Today, the current model continues to be a popular choice, with sales between 2003 and 2007 totalling more than 64,500units,an annual average of over 16,000 cars.
Technical Specifications
Saab BioPower Engine:
- Transversely-mounted, front-wheel drive
- 1398 cc. Four cylinders. Bore/stroke: 73.4/ 82.6 mm. Aluminium cylinder head, cast iron block
- DOHC, chain-driven. Four valves per cylinder
- Forged steel crankshaft, steel connecting rods. Aluminium pistons, oil spray cooled
- Direct injection with centrally-mounted injectors. VVT, inlet and exhaust
- Sodium-filled exhaust valves
- Compression ratio: 10.2:1
- Intercooled turbocharger. Max. Boost Pressure: 1.6 bar
- Dual-mass flywheel. Saab engine management
- Max power (E85): 200 hp (147 kW) @ 5000 rpm
- Max torque (E85): 280 Nm (207 lb.ft) @ 1750-5000 rpm
- Max power (petrol): 170 hp (125 kW) @ 5200 rpm
- Max torque (petrol): 230 Nm (170 lb.ft) @ 1500-5200 rpm
Hybrid System:
- Electric motor/generator with lithium ion battery pack
- Electric power boost, regenerative braking, fuel cut-off, automatic engine re-start
Transmission:
- 6-spd manual gearbox, automated clutch, sequential gear selection, steering wheel controls
Suspension, Wheels, Tyres:
- Front Suspension: Damper/coil struts, aluminium lower A-arm. Anti-roll bar
- Rear Suspension: Torsion beam, two trailing links, coil springs and dampers. Anti-roll bar
- Steering: Rack and pinion, electrical power assistance
- 21inch, 245/35R21
- Brakes: Hydraulic, dual circuit, vacuum booster. Discs: 345 mm / 345 mm (all ventilated)
Performance Data (projected figures)
- 0 - 100 km/h (0-62 mph): 8.1 secs (E85)
- 80 -120 km/h (50-75 mph), 5th gear: 8.9 secs (E85)
- Top Speed: 231 km/h / 144 mph (E85)
- Fuel consumption (combined cycle): 6.5 l/100 km (E85) / 5.0 l/100 km (petrol)
- CO2 emissions: 107 g/km (E85) /119 g/km (petrol)
Measurements and Weight:
- Length: 4427 mm
- Height: 1390 mm
- Width: 1826 mm
- Wheelbase: 2705 mm
- Weight: 1800 kg
(Source: Saab)
